The same day the Oklahoma Corporation Commission unveiled a new and larger earthquake plan targeting disposal wells in northwestern Oklahoma, the Governor’s Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity announced the awarding of a research grant to create a new digital system to collect data on wastewater disposal wells in the state.
The grant came from the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, which is a member of the coordinating council.
“This is why I created the council,” said Governor Mary Fallin. “It proves that we have assembled the right group of industry representatives, agencies, regulators and researchers to address Oklahoma’s rise in earthquakes.”
The OERB grant will establish a standard format for disposal well operators to submit to the Corporation Commission while assisting the agency in collecting and analyzing disposal well data, according to Michael Teague, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment and head of the council.
He said the project is an ongoing collaborative effort by the oil and natural gas producers, the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the Ground Water Protection Council.
“Through the OERB grant, the oil and natural gas industry is providing the critical funds necessary to revolutionize the way we collect and analyze data,” said Teague. The grant will be used to begin the first phase of the modernization project immediately. The second phase, funded by the GWPC with a U.S. Energy Department grant will expand the online system to provide detailed, real-time information to researchers across the country.
“This project is the first of its kind and other states are watching Oklahoma closely with great interest. It will provide an unparalleled level of information,” said Mike Paque, Executive Director of the Ground Water Protection Council. The Council will take the lead in developing the system and eventually provide Oklahoma regulators and earthquake researchers with a more extensive and efficient handling of data on disposal well operations in the state.
